Stop lamp flashers of various designs are known in the art. Stop lamp flashers turn a CHMSL on and off rapidly to alert a driver behind a stopping vehicle that the flasher-equipped vehicle is stopping. Persons who frequently drive in stop-and-go city traffic can become less responsive to ordinary brake lights over time, and stop lamp flashers create a more compelling visual image to get the attention of the driver of the rear vehicle. Stop lamp flashers have run into legal problems, because, by virtue of being turned off during part of the cycle, they do not meet federal safety standards for stop lamps (a.k.a. brake lights). Most brake light patents during the years 1971-2004 are for flashers. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,576,527, 3,760,353, 3,846,749, 3,914,739, 4,403,210, 4,651,129, 4,876,525, 4,956,633, 4,983,952, 4,987,405, 5,028,908, 5,172,095, 5,345,218, 5,404,130, 5,442,333, 5,565,841, 5,606,310, 5,677,670, 5,847,513, 6,160,476, 6,175,305, 6,693,526, and 6,744,361 are for flashers. One document, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0066528, discloses flashers as late as 2010. Flashers are now considered illegal, as safety regulations require the brake light to remain ON while the brake pedal is depressed.
Some commercially available vehicular safety devices do not shut off for part of the cycle, but leave room for improvements is size, production cost, ease of installation, and reliability. The earliest vehicular safety device found is U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,715, which uses modulation of intensity between two illumination states, rather than ON/OFF switching, as with flashers. U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,715 also discloses an inertial sensor as part of the system, which increases cost and complexity. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,720,871 and 6,943,677 disclose a brake light pulser that has an after-braking delay to prevent repetitive flashing in stop-and-go traffic, which can give the driver observing the CHMSL an inaccurate representation of what the car in front is doing.
Therefore, a need exists for a vehicular safety device that is smaller, cheaper to produce, easier to install, better at getting the attention of other drivers, and more reliable. Further, a need exists for a vehicular safety device that accurately initiates flashing every time the brake pedal is depressed. Further, a need exists for a vehicular safety device that does not require additional sensors and can rely exclusively on the brake light switch already in the vehicle. Further, a need exists for a vehicular safety device that uses only one integrated circuit (IC). Yet even further, there is a need for a vehicular safety device that attaches to the inside of the CHMSL housing to prevent strain on the electrical connections. Yet even further, there is a need for a vehicular safety device that has more than two intensity states. Yet even further, there is a need for packages containing large numbers of vehicular safety devices for sale to car dealerships.